Despite the 4th wave of COVID-19, Saipan air routes to resume as scheduled this month

On the 7th, at the quarantine station of Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport, where the daily number of COVID-19 confirmed cases exceeded 1,200 and imported cases have been steadily increasing, Korean residents, international students, and foreigners who arrived from Frankfurt, Germany after vaccination were lined up heading to the quarantine desks. On this day, for the first time since COVID-19, 10,000 people entered Incheon International Airport in one day.
Yeongjongdo - Photo by Airport Photojournalists Group

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Despite the fourth wave of COVID-19, airlines are expected to resume flights on the Saipan route as scheduled from the end of this month.

According to the aviation industry on the 14th, Asiana Airlines and Jeju Air will operate the Incheon~Saipan route from the 24th of this month, and T'way Air will operate from the 29th.

Domestic airlines resumed operations following the travel bubble agreement between the Korean government and Saipan (U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands). Under the travel bubble agreement, vaccinated Koreans can travel to Saipan without quarantine.

It is common for the counterpart country to restrict entry of Koreans if the COVID-19 spread worsens domestically, but Saipan is reportedly actively attracting Korean tourists.

The Marianas Visitors Authority provides incentive subsidies to airlines operating the Saipan route and travel agencies that recruit travelers. Airlines receive financial support if the load factor falls below a certain standard, allowing them to continue operations even with insufficient passengers.

Additionally, Korean tourists entering Saipan are provided with prepaid cards worth up to $500 and supported with PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test fees worth about $300. On the first day of the social distancing level 4 upgrade in the metropolitan area on the 12th, the number of domestic passengers was similar to that of the previous week.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of domestic passengers departing on the 12th was 94,000, similar to the 95,000 passengers on Monday the 5th of last week.

An aviation industry official said, "Inquiries about schedule changes have slightly increased, but actual reservation rates have not changed significantly," adding, "As COVID-19 spreads mainly in the metropolitan area, domestic routes to provinces such as Jeju do not seem to be greatly affected." Reporter Dongwoo Lee dwlee@

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.